


By Common Consent

by descoladin



Category: Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-03
Updated: 2018-11-03
Packaged: 2019-08-16 22:11:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16503677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/descoladin/pseuds/descoladin
Summary: Shift the Ape, while traveling, has a conversation with a Faun with republican leanings.





	By Common Consent

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nabielka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nabielka/gifts).



> Prompt: _I’d love for there to be some republican sentiment around somewhere._
> 
> Happy Halloween!

Before Shift the Ape came to live at Cauldron Pool, when he was a younger Ape (he was not what one would call a young Ape, even then, for his doings as a young Ape are another story entirely), he traveled round Narnia for a time. During one of these travels he happened to be walking through a forest in western Narnia, and his keen nose smelled something very promisingly food-like.

"Well," he said to himself, "let's go and see whether there's anything interesting to be tasted, as well as smelled!" For Shift did not always have as much food in his belly as he felt he should.

Following the smell, he came to a clearing in which a sprightly older Faun was putting a series of cunning boxes and containers out on a large cloth, all of which clearly contained food that was giving off the delicious smell. Shift breathed in the scent and licked his lips. "Greetings," he said. "I am a traveler who happened to be passing through. Shift the Ape, at your service." And he made a bow that would have been ridiculous had he been a Man; as an Ape it was even more so.

"I am Cliovela," the Faun said. "I was about to sit down and have a picnic, but you're welcome to share anything you see."

"Don't mind if I do," said Shift; it was exactly that invitation he had been hoping for. After he had ascertained, sadly, that there were no nuts, he took the Faun's curries and sandwiches and cakes instead, and grudgingly had to admit that they were almost as good as nuts.

"I hear King Tirian is overseeing some tree-planting in this area," he said, with his mouth full, by way of making conversation.

Cliovela sighed. "Well, he is," she said, and then, doubtfully, "I'm sure he means well."

Shift raised his eyebrows. "Not in favor of it?"

"I don't think it's the right thing to do," Cliovela said plainly; "I suppose that the young Dryads talked him into it, but there! an old Faun has seen more than a young Dryad, and that's simply that. It's been quite a while since this forest has seen any sort of burning, and there is too much undergrowth. After a fire, yes. Now? You're asking for trouble, you are." She sighed again.

"Not happy with the King, eh?" Shift asked.

"Well -- the thing is -- I don't see why we need a King at all," the faun said, frowning. "Oh, Tirian's not so bad as Kings go, I suppose. But it seems to me that the Talking Animals and, really, all of us here in Narnia ought to be able to rule ourselves, without a Son of Adam or a Daughter of Eve telling us what to do."

"Oh?" Shift asked, cocking his head, suddenly a great deal more interested. "I must own that I've had similar thoughts myself."

The Faun nodded her head emphatically. "Why, after all, should a single King or a Queen -- or even four of them -- be the intermediary between us and Aslan? It seems that we should have that relationship with him ourselves, without having someone in between to speak for us."

"I quite agree," said Shift. "I myself would quite like not to have to answer to a King."

"A Council, perhaps," Cliovela said eagerly, "that the different groups in Narnia agreed on. Such a Council could work together and could represent the will of the Narnians, having the wisdom of many. There are many of us in Eastern Narnia who have this thought. In the old stories," she continued, "many of the great Kings had such councils -- I'm only saying, give them the power instead of the King! And then, Aslan would speak to Dwarves and Fauns and Talking Animals of all sorts, not just the Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve. And of course there's that old story about the mice -- that he made them _Talking_ Mice because of something they did, totally independently of any sort of Man."

"Mm," Shift murmured. "Aslan, yes. Now, how would you feel if Aslan came back?"

"Ah," the Faun said, "that's unlikely to happen, isn't it? It's not like he's been around recently at all. But certainly if it came down to _having_ to follow anyone, I'd follow Aslan over any sort of King, and I can tell you that a great many would do the same."

*

Shift remembered this, quite a while later, as he was stitching up the lion-skin to fit Puzzle, and he chuckled. Ah, if only that Faun had known how she had inspired Shift!


End file.
